Exercise #55 – Ankle Presses and Circles

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Welcome to

Healing T’ai Chi

The award-winning blog of seated exercises based on Qigong and Yang style T’ai Chi for people of all ages and levels of physical fitness.

~~~~~~~~~

 ”True mastery can be gained
by letting things go their own way.
It can’t be gained by interfering.”

Tao Te Ching, #48, translated by S. Mitchell

~~~~~~~~~

Benefits – In this exercise you will be loosening and strengthening your ankles and feet.  Thigh muscles will be stretched, tightened and toned.

Posture – Begin as usual with your feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart.  Tuck your hips under you,  press your shoulders comfortably downward anad rolled slightly forward.

1. Start with your hands resting on your thighs. 
2. Rock your feet back and forth from the heels to the balls for at least 9 times.
3. Lift your feet off the floor, legs straight out in front of you. Flex and point your toes 9 times.
4. Now, circle one foot at a time to the inside, then reverse.  Repeat with the other foot.  Be sure to circle each foot in each direction for the same number of times.
5. Return your feet to the floor and slide one leg out to the side if possible. 
6. Balance your foot on your big toe and circle your heel first in one direction and then in the other.  Change feet and repeat.
7. Lift your feet off the floor and “wag” your feet to loosen up your ankle joints.

Use the High Mountains (B 60) acupressure point to enhance your exercise session.

 

• Sit on your bed or on the floor to use this point more effectively.  Cross one leg over the other with that foot resting on either the floor or the mattress.
• Locate High Mountains in the hollow between your ankle bone and your Achilles tendon on the outside of your ankle.
• Press firmly on each ankle at this point for a full minute.

Benefits: This point is helpful for relieving swollen feet, ankle pains, rheumatism in your foot joints as well as pain in your thighs or your lower back.

 

Don’t forget to drink water at the end of your exercise session or any time you begin to feel thirsty.  A Word of Caution…If you have or have had problems with your kidneys, please consult your physician regarding the amount of water appropriate for your condition.

~~~~~~~~~

This week’s featured blog:  http://n3rin3.wordpress.com/2009/03/22/vitamin-c/

Find great deals on home exercise equipment at the Exercise Equipment Super Store.

T’ai Chi in a Chair: Easy 15-Minute Routines for Beginners is now available exclusively at Barnes and Noble.

http://www.joansweightloss.com

Health Tips.

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http://www.friendly4seniors.com/

http://brainblogger.com/2008/http://passiontobe.wordpress.com/

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http://www.baby-parenting.com/pregnancy/exercise_pregnancy.html?artid=21

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~The exercises in this blog are intended for educational purposes only.  Always consult with your health care provider before beginning a new exercise program.~

Exercise #54 – Breath Regulation

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Welcome to

Healing T’ai Chi

The award-winning blog of seated exercises based on Qigong and Yang style T’ai Chi for people of all ages and levels of fitness.

~~~~~~~~~

 ”Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people’s approval
and you will be their prisoner.”

Tao Te Ching, #9, translated by S. Mitchell

 ~~~~~~~~~

Benefits - As the name implies, this exercise will help to regulate and deepen your breathing.   Healthful breathing is especially important at this time of the year when we’re spending most of our time indoors and viruses are spread easily from person to person.

Posture – You will be sitting forward on your chair through all of this exercise.  Your feet should be close together rather than shoulder-width apart as we usually place them.

1. Sit with your feet close together, heels touching.  Make fists of your hands with your thumbs inside your fingers.
2. Begin by breathing in slowly through your nose and keep your tongue tucked behind your upper front teeth.
3. Rub your fists upward on the large muscles that run alongside your spine as far as the base of the rib cage.  At the same time,  roll up on the balls of your feet.
4. Now,  exhale slowly as you rub your fists back down again to the top of your pelvis and bring your heels back down to the floor with a slight impact.
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 six to nine times slowly and with concentration.

Use the acupressure point, Fish Border (Lu10), to further improve your breathing.

 

 

• This point is located on the inside of your hand at the base of the thumb bone.
• Press firmly on this point for a full minute.  Then change hands and press on this point again for a full minute.

Benefits: This point will help to regulate your breathing, relieving shallow breathing, coughing and swollen throats.

 Don’t forget to drink water at the end of your exercise session or any time you begin to feel thirsty.  A Word of Caution…If you have or have had problems with your kidneys, please consult your physician regarding the amount of water appropriate for your condition.

~~~~~~~~~

This week’s featured special report:

http://www.cloudwater.com/chi/meditation/MeditationSpecialReport.pdf

Find great deals on home exercise equipment at the Exercise Equipment Super Store.

T’ai Chi in a Chair: Easy 15-Minute Routines for Beginners is now available exclusively at Barnes and Noble.

http://www.joansweightloss.com

Health Tips.

The Health Shack.

http://realfitnesstx.com

http://discoverandrecover.wordpress.com

http://www.friendly4seniors.com/

http://brainblogger.com/2008/07/03/treating-psychiatric-disorders-something-smells-fishy/

http://passiontobe.wordpress.com/

http://victoria-e.com/

http://www.baby-parenting.com/pregnancy/exercise_pregnancy.html?artid=21

http://www.smallbusinessavenues.com/

http://www.dfwrhn.com/

http://dietandfitness.dmbhate.com/

View this document on Scribd

 

 

 

 

~The exercises in this blog are intended for educational purposes only.  Always consult with your health care provider before beginning a new exercise program.~

Exercise #53 – Travel Ten Thousand Miles to Hold Up the Sky

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Welcome to

Healing T’ai Chi

The award-winning blog of seated exercises based on Qigong and Yang style T’ai Chi for people of all ages and levels of physical fitness.

~~~~~~~~~

“Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people’s approval
and you will be their prisoner.”

Tao Te Ching #9, translated by S. Mitchell

~~~~~~~~~

Benefits – This exercise will help you to clear your mind and focus your energies to find answers to your problems and worries within yourself .  Remain mindful throughout the exercise thinking only of the movement of your breath and your ch’i or energy.

Posture - Begin as usual with your feet flat on the floor shoulder-width apart.  Tuck your hips under so that your back is supported by the back of your chair.  Keep your trunk lifted and your head held high so that you don’t slump.

1. Begin with your hands resting on your lap.  Inhale and raise your arms to shoulder height.
2. Exhale slowly then push your palms downward bending at your waist until your hands touch the floor.  If it is not possible for you to reach the floor, just lower your hands as far down as is comfortable for you.
3. Hold for a few seconds, then inhale again and return to an upright position bringing your arms up to shoulder height.
4. Lower your elbows so that your fingers are pointing upwards and your palms are facing away from you.  Hold this position for a few seconds or, if you can, for a full minute while you continue to slowly exhale.
5. Return your hands to your lap and then start the exercise again for a total of 6 to 9 repetitions.

~When you finish use the exercise Centering Ch’i.  Reverse breathe by lifting your diaphragm and tightening your abdomen as you inhale.  Lift your arms over your head with your palms to the ceiling.  Slowly begin to exhale, relaxing only the lower part of your abdomen and return your arms to your sides.  Repeat for a total of 3 times.~

  Use the pressure point, Third Eye Point (GV24.5), to further clear your mind and calm your spirit.

 

 

• You will find this effective point on your forehead directly between your eyebrows at the indentation where the bridge of your nose meets your forehead.
• Press firmly on this point for at least one full minute with your eyes closed while breathing slowly in and out.

 

Don’t forget to drink water at the end of your exercise session or any time you begin to feel thirsty.  A Word of Caution…If you have or have had problems with your kidneys, please consult your physician regarding the amount of water appropriate for your condition.

~~~~~~~~~

This week’s featured blog: 

http://discoverandrecover.wordpress.com

 

Find great deals on home exercise equipment at the Exercise Equipment Super Store.

T’ai Chi in a Chair: Easy 15-Minute Routines for Beginners is now available exclusively at Barnes and Noble.

http://www.joansweightloss.com

Health Tips.

The Health Shack.

http://realfitnesstx.com

http://discoverandrecover.wordpress.com

http://www.friendly4seniors.com/

http://brainblogger.com/2008/07/03/treating-psychiatric-disorders-something-smells-fishy/

http://passiontobe.wordpress.com/

http://victoria-e.com/

http://www.baby-parenting.com/pregnancy/exercise_pregnancy.html?artid=21

http://www.smallbusinessavenues.com/

http://www.dfwrhn.com/

http://dietandfitness.dmbhate.com/

 

View this document on Scribd

 

  

~The exercises in this blog are intended for educational purposes only.  Always consult with your health care provider before beginning a new exercise program.~

Exercise #52 – Bringing Energy to the Palms

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Welcome to

Healing T’ai Chi

The award-winning blog of seated exercises based on Qigong and Yang style T’ai Chi for people of all ages and levels of fitness.

~~~~~~~~~

“If you overesteem great men,
people become powerless.
If you overvalue possessions,
people begin to steal.”

Tao Te Ching, #3, translated by S. Mitchell

 

Benefits – This exercise has only one purpose and that is to bring energy through your “column of energy”  (your trunk) all the way through your shoulders, down your arms and, finally, to your palms.  In other words, you will be energizing your entire upper body and limbs without strain on your muscles or joints.

Posture – You will be seated  in your usual beginning position throughout the entire exercise.  Sit with your feet flat o the floor, shoulder-width part.  Tuck your hips under you so that your back is completely supported by the back of your chair.

1. Inhale using reverse breathing (tighten your diaphragm when breathing in)and bring both hands together above your lap with fingers touching.  Your palms should be open and facing upward.
2. Lift your hands in this position to the lower part of your throat while imagining the energy rising to your throat.
3. Exhale, relaxing your diaphragm, turn your palms over and bring your hands down to just above your lap.
4. Inhale and lift your hands to throat level again as in step #2. 
5. Separate  your hands with palms facing forward. 
6. Exhale but try to keep your energy centered at the throat.
7. Inhale again (reverse breathing) as you press your arms out to the side at shoulder height.  Continue inhaling gradually as you push your arms out to the side.  In other words, take a breath, extending your arms a third of the way out, pause, inhale again, pushing your arms out a little more, pause, inhale and push all the way out without locking your elbows.  By this time your diaphragm and abdominal muscles should be completely contracted.
8. Exhale, relaxing your diaphragm and abdomen and return your hands to their beginning position.
9. Repeat for at least 6 complete repetitions.

 

Use the acupresure point, Active Pond (TW4), to open the meridians at your wrist so that the ch’i or energy can pass freely through to your palms.

 

• You can find this point on the outside of your arm in the hollow at the center of the wrist crease.
• Press firmly on this point for a full minute.  Then change hands and repeat on your other wrist.

Benefits: This pressure point will relieve the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, pain when grasping and generalized wrist pain.  Frequent use will help to strengthen your wrists.

 

 Don’t forget to drink water at the end of your exercise session or any time you begin to feel thirsty.  A Word of Caution…If you have or have had problems with your kidneys, please consult your physician regarding the amount of water appropriate for your condition.

~~~~~~~~~

This week’s featured blog:  http://lifeofparenting.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/tips-to-reduce-stress/ 

Find great deals on home exercise equipment at the Exercise Equipment Super Store.

T’ai Chi in a Chair: Easy 15-Minute Routines for Beginners is now available exclusively at Barnes and Noble.

http://www.joansweightloss.com

Health Tips.

The Health Shack.

http://realfitnesstx.com

http://discoverandrecover.wordpress.com

http://www.friendly4seniors.com/

http://brainblogger.com/2008/07/03/treating-psychiatric-disorders-something-smells-fishy/

http://passiontobe.wordpress.com/

http://victoria-e.com/

http://www.baby-parenting.com/pregnancy/exercise_pregnancy.html?artid=21

http://www.smallbusinessavenues.com/

http://www.dfwrhn.com/

http://dietandfitness.dmbhate.com/

 

View this document on Scribd

 

 

 

 

~The exercises in this blog are intended for educational purposes only.  Always consult with your health care provider before beginning a new exercise program.~

Exercise #51 – Sending Ch’i to the Kidneys

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 Welcome to

 

 

Healing T’ai Chi

The award-winning blog of seated exercises based on Qigong and Yang style T’ai Chi for people of all ages and levels of fitness. 

~~~~~~~~~

 ”If you let yourself be blown to and fro,
you lose touch with your root.
If you let restlessness move you,
you lose touch with who you are.”

Tao Te Ching, #26, translated by S. Mitchell

 

Benefits – This exercise will send energy to your kidneys to heal and strengthen these important organs.

Posture – You will be moving out of your beginning posture in this exercise but begin as you usually do, feet flat on the floor shoulder-width apart.  Remember to tuck your hips under you so that your back is flush to the back of your chair.

1. Inhale and raise your arms out to shoulder level, plams downward.
2. Exhale and twist to the left turning your hands perpendicular to the floor, thumbs pointed up.
3. Inhale and return to the center.
4. Exhale again as you twist to the right repeating step 2.
5. Inhale and return to the center.  Take 2 breaths by tightening your diaphrgam when you breathe in and expanding it when you breathe out (reverse breathing).
6. Raise your right knee to your chest and grasp it with your hands.
7. As you exhale, pull your knee toward your chest but press outward with your knee resisting the pull of your hands.
8. Drop your head to your chest as you inhale, round your back and tighten your stomach muscles.
9. Exhale again returning your foot to the floor and straightening your back.
10. Repeat steps 1 through 9 raising your left knee this time. 
11. Repeat the entire sequence 6 times alternating knees.

Enhance your exercise session with the acupressure point Blazing Valley (K2).  It is better to be lying down when you use this point either on the floor or in bed.

 

• Blazing Valley is located in the middle of the arch of your foot midway between the tip of your big toe and the back of your heel.
• Press firmly on this point for at least 60 seconds on either foot then change feet.

Benefits: Regular use of this pressure point will relieve edema and swelling of the feet and ankles.

 

Don’t forget to drink water at the end of your exercise session or any time you begin to feel thirsty.  A Word of Caution…If you have or have had problems with your kidneys, please consult your physician regarding the amount of water appropriate for your condition.

~~~~~~~~~

This week’s featured blog: http://edgewaterbootcamp.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/edgewater-boot-camps-diet-tips/

 

Find great deals on home exercise equipment at the Exercise Equipment Super Store.

T’ai Chi in a Chair: Easy 15-Minute Routines for Beginners is now available exclusively at Barnes and Noble.

http://www.joansweightloss.com

Health Tips.

The Health Shack.

http://realfitnesstx.com

http://discoverandrecover.wordpress.com

http://www.friendly4seniors.com/

http://brainblogger.com/2008/07/03/treating-psychiatric-disorders-something-smells-fishy/

http://passiontobe.wordpress.com/

http://victoria-e.com/

http://www.baby-parenting.com/pregnancy/exercise_pregnancy.html?artid=21

http://www.smallbusinessavenues.com/

http://www.dfwrhn.com/

http://dietandfitness.dmbhate.com/

View this document on Scribd

 

~The exercises in this blog are intended for educational purposes only.  Always consult with your health care provider before beginning a new exercise program.~